Doctor Who_ Space War - Malcolm Hulke [51]
‘You know,’ she whispered. ‘It makes people see things.’ She tilted her head to indicate the Ogron guard. ‘You could use it to frighten him !’
‘He’d only run away,’ said the Doctor. ‘We’d still be locked in.’ An idea formed in his mind. ‘But there is something we might do with very fine adjustment...’ He started to inspect the controls. In an undertone he whispered through the bars to their fellow prisoners. ‘General, if we get out of here, and Miss Grant and I create a diversion, could you two find your way back to the ship?’
‘Naturally,’ said the General.
‘Good. I want you to take off immediately and get the truth to your respective governments.’
The Draconian Prince put his snout close to the bars. ‘I shall stay and help you.’
‘No, Your Highness. We need you to convince the Emperor,’ said the Doctor, making final adjustments to the controls on the hypno-sound device. ‘Incidentally, Jo, I take it that the TARDIS is here somewhere?’
She nodded. ‘I could lead you there—I think.’
‘Excellent. Now all of you, close your eyes and block your ears. If you don’t it could be rather unpleasant for you.’ The Doctor went forward to the bars and called to the Ogron guard. ‘Flow long are you going to keep us stuck in here? Hey, I’m speaking to you.’
The guard lumbered forward menacingly. ‘You keep quiet or I fill mouth with fist.’
‘Charming,’ said the Doctor. ‘Well, let’s see how you feel about this.’ He turned on the hypno-sound device to full strength.
The Ogron guard stopped, eyes dilated. The strange sound made his mind reel. As he stared, the Doctor’s form on the other side of the bars became blurred, then re-formed as a Dalek.
‘Open the gate,’ the Doctor told him, imitating a Dalek voice. ‘Open the gate or I shall exterminate you.’
The Ogron tried to assemble his thoughts. ‘Master say keep gate locked.’
‘We are the masters of the Master.’ the Dalek looked menacingly at him through the bars. ‘Open or I shall exterminate you. Exterminate, exterminate! ’
Shaking with fear the Ogron produced a massive key and turned it in the lock. Then he fled in terror.
The Doctor and Jo stepped out to freedom. The Doctor took the key, unlocked the gate to the other cell, went inside and touched the General and the Prince on their shoulders. ‘You can open your eyes now.’
They looked at the Doctor in astonishment. ‘What did you do?’ asked the General.
‘Put it down to magic,’ the Doctor grinned. He showed them the hypno-sound device. ‘This little thing almost caused you two to blow each other to smithereens. I’d love to explain how it works but there isn’t time. We’ve got to find the Master.’ He turned to Jo. ‘Where did you send your May Day message from?’
Jo looked down the corridor where the terrified Ogron had run. ‘I think it was that way.’
‘Try your best to remember, Jo,’ said the Doctor. ‘A lot depends on it.’
The Master was using his transmitting equipment to talk to the departing Daleks whose spaceship was now in flight. ‘You have no need to worry. The Doctor is safe in my hands. When I bring him to you, he will be a broken man.’
A Dalek voice answered over the loudspeaker. ‘Do not fail the Daleks. We are about to enter hyper-drive and return to our planet. Do not fail the Daleks.’
The Master replied, ‘I shall not fail you.’
Nothing further came over the loudspeaker so he presumed that was the end of the conversation. The Daleks were not given to the normal pleasantries of bidding farewell. He switched off the transmitter. ‘Stupid tin boxes,’ he said to himself. ‘We’ll see who really rules the galaxy once this war has ruined Earth and Draconia.’ Imitating a Dalek voice he said, ‘ Exterminate —indeed! ‘
The Ogron guard from the cells stumbled into the cave-room. He was too terrified and confused to speak, but stood there panting.
‘What’s wrong with you?’ said the Master. ‘Why aren’t you guarding the prisoners?’
The Ogron caught his breath. ‘The Dalek sent me away.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ said the Master. ‘There are no Daleks here now. They’ve all left. Go back to your post and stop imagining things.’ As he said the